With the Tall Ships about to dock in Cleveland, we thought we would give you a preview of how the ships differ.

The ships that make up the Cleveland fleet are very diverse in their missions, from representing a historical past to training people to sail, and even those with an environmental purpose.

While each ship has their own surprises, they have much in common. And many people who come to see them learn very quickly that sailing one of these is no cruise.

Adam Stacey, on the Sorlandet, said "They get to see the ship looking really nice and we try our hardest to make sure it's looking great when it comes into a port. But a lot of people don't have an appreciation on how much work goes into a ship."

Capt. Joe Tilley, of Liana's Ransom, said "Anybody that has a tall ship, whether it's private or non-profit, they are in it for the love of the game. With all the regulations, the maintenance, it's very expensive."

These aren't movie props. They are fully operating ships.

Jonny Slanga, the second mate on the Lynx, said "These really are ships, we are really sailors, they really sail and it's a lot of work and a lot of history."

Jill Hughes, the chief mate on the Pride of Baltimore II, said "We all live aboard the boat. There are 12 of us total, so I think that's a shock. They are also surprised sometimes that the boat even sails. We sail from port to port, we sail as much as we can. We are always up in the rigging climbing, and so that surprises people too."

While you are excited to see the ships, the crews are thrilled to pull into port.

Stacey added, "We are really excited for Cleveland. I'm actually Canadian so I never had a real July 4th celebration so I'm really excited for that."